Narine et al. (2025) More than ice in ICESat-2: Measuring forests

Identification

• Journal: Elsevier eBooks
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-12-06
• Authors: Lana L. Narine, Lonesome Malambo, Sorin Popescu
• DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-443-40296-8.00017-3

Research Groups

• College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States
• Texas A&M Forest Service, College Station, TX, United States
• Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States

Short Summary

This paper explores the application of NASA's ICESat-2 satellite data, specifically the ATL08 vegetation product, for measuring various forest attributes beyond its primary ice mission. It demonstrates ICESat-2's capability to provide along-track terrain and canopy height estimates, contributing to forest and environmental monitoring.

Objective

• To demonstrate the utility of ICESat-2 satellite data, particularly the ATL08 vegetation product, for measuring and estimating various forest attributes such as canopy heights, aboveground biomass, and canopy cover, extending its application beyond ice monitoring.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Global (along-track measurements)
• Temporal Scale: Ongoing (post-September 2018)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Not explicitly detailed in the provided text, but focuses on data from ICESat-2.
• Data sources: Satellite (ICESat-2, specifically ATL08 product)

Main Results

• ICESat-2 data, particularly the ATL08 product, effectively provides along-track estimates of terrain and canopy height.
• The ICESat-2 mission is demonstrated to be a valuable tool for measuring and estimating diverse forest attributes, including canopy heights, aboveground biomass, and canopy cover, across various surface types.

Contributions

• This article highlights the significant expanded utility of the ICESat-2 mission beyond its primary ice monitoring role, demonstrating its capability as a robust platform for comprehensive forest and environmental monitoring. It specifically emphasizes the value of the ATL08 product for deriving critical forest structural parameters.

Funding

• Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Narine2025More,
  author = {Narine, Lana L. and Malambo, Lonesome and Popescu, Sorin},
  title = {More than ice in ICESat-2: Measuring forests},
  journal = {Elsevier eBooks},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1016/b978-0-443-40296-8.00017-3},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-443-40296-8.00017-3}
}